Bluff Street 0605-0621IOWA STATE HISTORI~L DEPARTMENT, DIVISION OF HISTORIC P~SERVATION
DUBUQUE, lO_WA,, 1978
Architectural Survey 1979
Inventory
STREET ADDRESS
PRESENT OWNER Address
Photograph ~o~ ~
LEGAL DESCRIPTION
DATE OF CONSTRUCTION ~ /~)"TO~ ~O
Source
ARCHITECT/BUILDER
Source
PRESENT USE
DESIGNED USE
Source
ACCESSIBILITY {g~UNR/NO
STATUS <~/UNO/WP
BUILDING MATERIALS CONDITION
Foundation ~,~A~,%**C~D~_. ~ 1234
Porch/Storefront ~ 1 2 3 4
Eaves/Cornice ~0~ /,~Cg~%5 1234
Roof ~~ 1234
Chimney(s) ~ 1234
1234
1234
DESIGN FEATU~S
Style ~ ~ ~ ,
Details of Note:
Facade N/S/E/W By Date
Site Features:
Evaluation ·
I QUALITY Aesthetic ~ 34
Historical !2 34
Rarity 34
II ENVIRONMENTALSTATURE ~234
III CONTEXT Immediate 34
Broad ~234
IV INTEGRITY OF FABRIC ~1~234
Architectural Significance
PROBABLE ADDITIONAL AP. EAS OF SIGNIFICANCE
REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS
COMMENT:
HABS/NRHP
SURVEY CONSULTANT: Bruce M. Kriviskey, AICP
Date
Site Inventory Form
State Inventory No. 31-00848
New Supplemental
State Historical Society of Iowa
Part of a district with known boundaries (enter inventory no.)
Relationship:ContributingNoncontributing
(December 1, 1999)
Contributes to a potential district with yet unknown boundaries
National Register Status:(any that apply) Listed De-listed NHL DOE
9-Digit SHPO Review & Compliance Number
Non-Extant (enter year)
1. Name of Property
historic name Jesse P. Farley House, Mary of the Angels Home
other names/site number
2. Location
street & number 605-621 Bluff
city or town Dubuque vicinity, county Dubuque
Legal Description: (If Rural) Township Name Township No. Range No. Section Quarter of Quarter
(If Urban) Subdivision Block(s) Lot(s) see below
3. State/Federal Agency Certification []
Skip this Section
4. National Park Service Certification []
Skip this Section
5. Classification
Category of Property Number of Resources within Property
(Check only one box)
building(s) If Non-Eligible Property If Eligible Property, enter number of:
district Enter number of: Contributing Noncontributing
site 0 buildings 3 0 buildings
structure sites sites
object structures structures
objects objects
0 Total 3 0 Total
Name of related project report or multiple property study
(Enter “N/A” if the property is not part of a multiple property examination).
Title Historical Architectural Data Base Number
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, 1833-1955N/A
6. Function or Use
Historic Functions Current Functions
(Enter categories from instructions)(Enter categories from instructions)
01-Domestic/01A01single dwelling residence 01B-multipleDwelling
10-D02-power plant 10-D02-power plant
7. Description
Architectural Classification Materials
(Enter categories from instructions)(Enter categories from instructions)
nd
05-Late Victorian/05C-2 Empire foundation Stone
walls brick
roof Asphalt
other
Narrative Description
( SEE CONTINUATION SHEETS, WHICH MUST BE COMPLETED)
8. Statement of Significance
Applicable National Register Criteria
(Mark “x” representing your opinion of eligibility after applying relevant National Register criteria)
Yes No More Research Recommended A
Property is associated with significant events.
Yes No More Research Recommended B
Property is associated with the lives of significant persons.
Yes No More Research Recommended C
Property has distinctive architectural characteristics.
Yes No More Research Recommended D
Property yields significant information in archaeology or history.
31-00848
Dubuque605-621 Bluff
County Address Site Number
Dubuque
City District Number
Criteria Considerations
A Owned by a religious institution or used E A reconstructed building, object, or structure.
for religious purposes. F A commemorative property.
B Removed from its original location. G Less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past
C A birthplace or grave. 50 years.
D A cemetery
Areas of Significance Significant Dates
(Enter categories from instructions)
Construction date
Architecture1879
check if circa or estimated date
Other dates
1900, 1911
Significant Person Architect/Builder
(Complete if National Register Criterion B is marked above)
Architect
N/A Hyde, Franklin D.; Heer, Ferd & Sons
Builder
McQuillan
Narrative Statement of Significance
( SEE CONTINUATION SHEETS, WHICH MUST BE COMPLETED)
9. Major Bibliographical References
Bibliography
See continuation sheet for citations of the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form
10. Geographic Data
UTM References
(OPTIONAL)
Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting Northing
1 2
3 4
See continuation sheet for additional UTM references or comments
11. Form Prepared By
name/title James E. Jacobsen
organization History Pays! Historic Preservation Consulting Firm date June 15, 2004
street & number 4411 Ingersoll Avenue telephone 515-274-3625
city or town Des Moines state IA zip code 50312
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION
(Submit the following items with the completed form)
FOR ALL PROPERTIES
1. Map: showing the property’s location in a town/city or township.
2. Site plan: showing position of buildings and structures on the site in relation to public road(s).
3. Photographs: representative black and white photos. If the photos are taken as part of a survey for which the Society is to be
curator of the negatives or color slides, a photo/catalog sheet needs to be included with the negatives/slides and the following
needs to be provided below on this particular inventory site:
Roll/slide sheet # 7471 Frame/slot # 12-14, 16 Date Taken Sept. 2003
Roll/slide sheet # Frame/slot # Date Taken
Roll/slide sheet # Frame/slot # Date Taken
photo & slide catalog sheet
See continuation sheet or attached for list of photo roll or slide entries.
Photos/illustrations without negatives are also in this site inventory file.
FOR CERTAIN KINDS OF PROPERTIES, INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING AS WELL
1. Farmstead & District:
(List of structures and buildings, known or estimated year built, and contributing or non-contributing status)
2. Barn:
a. A sketch of the frame/truss configuration in the form of drawing a typical middle bent of the barn.
b. A photograph of the loft showing the frame configuration along one side.
c. A sketch floor plan of the interior space arrangements along with the barn’s exterior dimensions in feet.
State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) Use Only Below This Line
Concur with above survey opinion on National Register eligibility: Yes No More Research Recommended
This is a locally designated property or part of a locally designated district.
Comments:
Evaluated by (name/title): Date:
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa
31-00848
Site Number
Iowa Site Inventory Form
Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 1
Jesse P. Farley House, Mary of the Angels Home Dubuque
Name of Property County
605-621 Bluff Dubuque
Address City
7. Narrative Description:
This property is located in the Cathedral Historic District. Style/Year: 1879/c.1900, 1911, Second
Empire style (mansard attic treatment), Classical Revival (central porch pediment, Ionic Columns). This
is the simplified Dubuque mansard form, with a simple attic portion of the purer form.
Designer/Builder: Franklin D. Hyde, architect (original Farley residence, Shank, p. 86). McQuillan was
the builder, and McHiver, the East Coast interior decorator. Ferd Heer Sr. & Sons, addition (Telegraph-
Herald, April 23, 1933).
Physical Description: This two-story brick Second Empire residence (originally a dozen large rooms
exclusive of the attic and basement, there were five fireplaces one of which featured a Vermont marble
mantle with onyx pillars and china enamel tile) was enlarged over time and its form, in at least two
major additions, there is a three-sided center pavilion with a prominent dormer (with pediment cap), and
a Classical Revival entry portico, set above stone steps. There is a bracketed cornice, and two stone
lintel-level belt courses are also bracketed (uniquely the brackets are placed outside of each window
sill). Thee is a raised stone foundation of smooth faced stone. An impressive stone stairway with
enlarged newel posts and sideways.
The 1900 rear addition to the Farley core house was three stories high, brick, and measured 36x50.
Alterations: Permits note re-roofings in 1939, 1982, 1996, open porch repairs 1953, masonry garage in
rear 1966, new portico 1979, detached shed redecked and re-roofed 1996.
Landscaping/Setting: shallow stone retaining wall and front yard with separate walk. Alley to north side.
8. Narrative Statement of Significance:
Special Significance; Jesse P. Farley House, Mary of the Angels Home
Farley (1813-?) came to the city in 1833, served as a city director and a member of the first council, he
served three consecutive terms as mayor (1852-1855), helped organize the Dubuque Insurance
Company in 1842, the Central Improvement Company in 1857, and at that time was one of the 13
wealthiest men in the city, he funded the establishment of the Farley & Loetscher millwork company
and had a notable association with railroads. He helped found the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad in
1853, lived seven years in St. Paul (1873+) rebuilding the St. Paul Railroad (the town of Farley is
named for him, others for his children on that line), and he finally lost his fortune in a railroad related
legal case. This forced the sale of this house to the Sisters of St. Francis on March 30, 1892 for
$15,000. His family first lived at 633 Walnut Street until 1853, then at 421 Locust Street, next at the
rear of the future A. A. Cooper Greystone mansion, and then at this location. They occupied a small
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brick house here until 1886, when they temporarily moved the west side of Bluff between 7 and 8
streets while this house was built. (Farley bought Lot 619 on December 13, 1875 for $6,700). Farley
was twice married, first to Mary P. Johnson (?-1844), with whom he had five sons, and second to Mary
Louise Johnson, with whom he had 12 children, three of whom were alive as of 1930. Farley died May
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa
31-00848
Site Number
Iowa Site Inventory Form
Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 2
Jesse P. Farley House, Mary of the Angels Home Dubuque
Name of Property County
605-621 Bluff Dubuque
Address City
8, 1894 living at 567 Locust (undated newspaper article, post-1930, titled “Mary of the Angels Home”;
Telegraph-Herald, Times-Journal, April 15, 1834).
Original Owner/Builder: J. P. Farley, $20,000, 1879 (Herald, January 1, 1880). Farley had an earlier
th
residence on “Bluff at the head of 6” prior to this and he beautified it in 1870 for $1,500 (Herald,
December 18, 1870), added a frame wing to it for $1,150 in 1873 (Herald, November 9, 1873). The
new wing was blessed by Archbishop James Keane on October 2, 1900 (Herald, April 25, 1900).
The lot to the north of the Farley house was purchased April 30, 1909 and four brick buildings were
demolished. Plans for a new wing were ready by May 1911 for a 70x38 three-story brick wing. Kutsch
Brothers were the contractors. Archbishop Keane blessed this addition on December 10, 1911 and the
home’s capacity was now 80 women. It was renamed “Mary of the Angels Home.”
The Sisters purchased the bluff property behind the Farley house from John Little, of Dyersville, on
June 1, 1916 for $2,600 and four old frame buildings were removed. The grounds were landscaped
and a grotto was built. That same year, on December 9, 1916, the George Watters parcel to the south
was purchased and a building was completed 1929-30 (see above) (undated newspaper article, post-
1930, titled “Mary of the Angels Home”).
Building History: Originally built as 619 Bluff as Second Empire residence for J. P. Farley in 1879-80
($20,000).
The Mary of the Angels House was organized by Bishop Hennessey in 1884 initially as the “St. Francis
Industrial School” where unemployed young ladies would find jobs. This concept was soon replaced by
the decision to simply board locally employed young women and the institution first occupied Bishop
Loras’s former residence, located behind the cathedral. The capacity was 16 boarders. The Sisters of
St. Francis managed the home. This house was acquired and remodeled, Bishop Hennessey blessed
it on June 4, 1892 and it began operations as the “St. Francis Home” with a capacity for 20 boarders. A
rear wing was added in 1900 (the Herald, April 25, 1900, reported removal of the outbuildings of the
former Farley property and beginning of excavation work, called the “new Sisters building).
Expansion replaced a four-building row house block. The Herald announced plans to build a new
sisters’ house on the former Jesse Farley land (Herald, November 25, 1900).
9. Major Bibliographical References:
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, 1884, 1891, 1909/36
Dubuque City Directories, 1902, 1915, 1925, 1934
Bruce Kriviskey, Dubuque, Iowa--Architectural Survey 1978/1979, Atlas of City Wide and District
Survey Maps, Dubuque; n.p., c.1979
Dubuque County Assessor’s Data
Newspapers and other primary sources as noted in the text above.
Historical photographs, Center For Dubuque History, Loras College
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